A charity boss fled to Turkey and remains on the run after stealing more than £150,000 from the organisation and "effectively putting it out of business".
Donna Wells brazenly jetted out of the UK two days before she was due to face justice over her long-running campaign of fraud and is believed to remain abroad. The "greedy" conwoman transferred tens of thousand of pounds out of her employers' bank account and into that of her friend's butty van, as well as swiping cash and purchasing gift vouchers for herself using the company credit card.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Monday, that the 40-year-old pinched a total of £159,862 from Young Addaction Halton over a period of around 20 months in 2018 and 2019. Simon Christie, prosecuting, described how Wells first joined the charity - which was based at Grangeway Community Centre in Runcorn and offered support to young people addicted to drugs and alcohol, as well as those suffering from mental health issues - as service manager in 2014.
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She was "placed in a position of trust" in the organisation, including approving invoices, as part of this role. But an investigation sparked by a whistleblower in December 2020 found that she had exploited this position by making dozens of bogus transfers into business accounts linked to her and her friend's husband Francis Jones.
This included 17 invoices to her co-defendant's mobile catering company, Jones' Butty Bar, totalling £42,800 - £28,100 of which was then sent back to her personally. Other payments were made to a beauticians, with little or no evidence of services having been provided by the businesses in question.
Wells, who was suspended amid the probe and later resigned from her position, also duped a sports company into paying back sums which had transferred into its account for her benefit. Another facet of her swindle involved "raiding" petty cash stocks and completing several thousands pounds of unwarranted purchases on the credit card, many involving gift vouchers where there was no record why they were purchased or who they were given to.
Mr Christie said that the "impact on the charity had been dramatic in the extreme", with Wells' actions "effectively putting it out of business" after Halton Borough Council opted not to renew its contract with Addaction following the revelations. Colleagues described feeling the "finger of suspicion falling on them" while the lengthy enquiries progressed.
Meanwhile, services provided by the organisation were described as subsequently being "of a lesser quality" due to the financial impact of her crimes. This included trips out being "scaled back" and the cancellation of its Christmas panto visit, with staff being forced to beg a chip shop for free bags of chips for service users.
Wells - of Bridgeway East in Windmill Hill, Runcorn - previously pleaded guilty to several offences and was released on bail ahead of her scheduled sentencing on December 2 last year. But a warrant was issued for her arrest when she failed to appear on that date.
Enquiries have since revealed that the fraudster flew to Istanbul from Manchester Airport on the afternoon of November 30, then took an onward flight to the port city of Bodrum. Mr Christie said that this was "where it is suggested she still resides", with Wells having family including her mum in Turkey.
The defendant was previously convicted of theft by employee and fraud in 2007, receiving a conditional discharge on this occasion. Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, told the court: "My impression was of an intelligent but complicated woman.
"She was in an unhealthy relationship with someone who could be described as coercive. It was understood that she was put under pressure by a third party to act in this dishonest fashion."
Wells admitted fraud by abuse of position, fraud and money laundering. She was jailed for four years in her absence.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew McLoughlin said that she had used taken the funds to "live well beyond her means" and had also "stolen opportunities from the young people of Halton". He added: "She decided to use her position of power to exploit her management position.
"It is clear that this was simply greed on her part. There is no evidence at all to suggest she was in financial difficulties.
"Addaction was trusted by the local authority to help those most in need. Through no fault of the organisation itself, but of one individual within, significant reputation damage has been caused to it.
"I am satisfied that Donna Wells' fraudulent activity was a significant factor in the local authority dispensing with the services of Addaction. My overarching view is that this is someone only interested in themselves."
The court previously heard that dad-of-two Jones, of Woodridge in Runcorn, had bought a van for his business from his sister but ultimately amassed a £12,000 debt and was declared bankrupt in September 2020. Recorder McLoughlin told him that he had been "drawn into this for easy money" as he sentenced him to 15 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 100 hours unpaid work, the taxi driver having pleaded guilty to money laundering.
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